While it is always desirable and furniture be aesthetically pleasing, additional benefits are obtained if the furniture is durable and adaptable. Such benefits are discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,496,091; of which the inventor herein is a co-inventor thereof. This patent is incorporated herein by reference.
The ergonomics, aesthetics and utility are additional advantages obtained when durable furniture has such features. Such factors are discussed in the referenced patent and need not be repeated here.
With such public use of the furniture, a spill of fluid is very likely. It is very desirable for such a spill of fluid to be cleaned or removed. The problem of such cleaning is greatly complicated, if the fluid migrates under the chair. If such a migration of fluid can be minimized, or avoided, great advantages can be obtained.
Complications of a cleanup also occur when fluid flows into a crevasse or an indentation in the chair. Such a crevasse or an indentation is inherently hard to reach or access, and hence inherently difficult to clean. Yet such indentations or crevasses are necessary to achieve a comfortable chair.
With the durable surface of the chair, prevention of such a flow of fluid is extremely difficult. The sloping of the chair surfaces contributes to the great possibility of the fluid spilled on the chair flowing to a point under that chair.
When chairs are grouped, any spill of fluid has a more complicated cleaning procedure. Complications are even further aggravated, if the spilled fluid migrates under the groups of chairs. It is clearly more difficult to move a group of chairs than it is to move one chair, because of the inherent increase in bulk or weight. This is especially true when each member of the group of chairs is secured to another member of the group of chairs.
It is very desirable, for the group of chairs to be joined together without compromising the prevention of the flow of spilled fluid, to a position situated under one or more of the chairs. Such a joining mechanism, to be effective, must be secure and at least substantially not interfere with the desired direction of fluid away from a position underneath the chair.